farmer in India had two large pots (桶）．One of the pots had a crack (裂缝）in it．The other pot was perfect，and it always carried a full pot of water at the end of the long walk from the stream to the farmer’s house．The cracked pot arrived only half full．

For two years this went on daily，with the farmer carrying one and one-half pots of water to his house．Of course，the perfect pot was proud of its achievements．But the poor cracked pot was ashamed (羞愧的）of its own work．One day，it spoke to the farmer，“I was ashamed (羞愧的）of myself，and I want to apologize to you．”

“Why?” asked the farmeer．“What are you ashamed of?”

“For these last two years，I have been able to carry only half pot of water，because this crack in my side causes water to leak out all the way back to your house．Because of my flaw (瑕庇），you do not get full value for your work，” the pot explained．

“Did you notice that there were flowers only on your side of the path，but not on the other pot’s side? That’s because I have always known about your flaw，and I took advantage of it．I sowed (播撒）flower seeds on your side of the path，and every day while I walk back from the stream，you have watered them．For two years，I have been able to pick those flowers to decorate my table．So I need to say ‘thanks，to you for the beautiful flowers!”

Each of us has our own flaws．We are all cracked pots．Don’t be ashamed of the flaws．Accept them，and we can be the cause of beauty，too．In God’s eyes，nothing goes to waste．

根据短文内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填涂在答题卡相应位置。

46．How much water did the farmer carry when he got home every day?

A．Two pots．       B．One pot． C．Half pot． D．One and a half pots．

47．Why did the cracked pot feel ashamed?

A．Because it felt so ugly for its crack．

B．Because the perfect pot laughed at it．

C．Because it couldn’t carry water for the farmer．

D．Because it couldn’t give the farmer full value for his work．

48．What does the underlined phrase “leak out” mean in Chinese?

A．走漏                 B．漏出                C．蒸发               D．溢出

49．Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The farmer felt sorry for the cracked pot．

B．The farmer used the flowers to decorate his table．

C．The farmer wanted to carry two full pots of water．

D．The fanner sowed flower seeds on both sides of the path．

50．What can we learn from this story?

A．We should accept our weakness and make use of it．

B．We should forget our weakness and work hard．

C．We should be ashamed of our weakness．

D．We should be proud of our weakness．

 I didn’t have money for a taxi, so I had to walk back home.

A．Some

B．little

C．few

D．any

 

Mr. White had no money for the taxi, so he had to ______ home.

A．walk back to

B．walked back to

C．walks back

D．walk back

 

    Mr. Brown lived in a house less than two miles from his office, so he was able to drive home every day for lunch. Every time he drove home at noon, he found many cars were parked outside his house and there was no room for his own car. He had to drive somewhere else to park his car. Then he had to walk back home. This made him very angry.
He had put up a board, which said, “ No parking” in the garden facing the road, but nobody noticed it. People seemed to obey(遵守) only a police notice with letters on a blue board:
POLICE NOTICE
NO PARKING
Mrs. Brown suggested that he could steal a police notice. He was afraid to do so. She then suggested that he could make one just like a police notice. He said he was not the police and couldn’t use the word “police”. Several days later, Mr. Brown made a blue board with white letters:
POLITE NOTICE
NO PARKING
“ Oh!” Mrs. Brown said, “You told me you weren’t going to use the word  “police”, but why do you use it now?” “Really?” he asked, “Look again.” She started to laugh. “You are really clever.”
【小题1】How many notice boards did Mr. Brown make altogether?

A．Only one

B．Two

C．Three

D．None

【小题2】Mr. Brown made a notice board which ________________ in the end.

A．was just the same as a police notice

B．was different in colour from a police notice

C．looked just like a police notice

D．said “ POLICE NOTICE, NO PARKING”

【小题3】We can infer(推断) that ____________ after he put up the blue board.

A．more people will park their cars outside his house

B．more policemen will come to park their cars at noon

C．fewer people will visit him at noon later on

D．fewer people will park their cars outside his house

Some people bring out the best in you in a way that you might never have fully realized on your own. My mom was one of those people.
My father died when I was nine months old. Mom and I lived a very hard life. We had little money, but my mom gave me a lot of love. Each night, she spoke the words that would change my life, “Kemmons, you are certain to be a great man and you can do anything in life if you work hard enough to get it.”
At fourteen, I was hit by a car and the doctors said I would never walk again. Every day, my mother spoke to me in her gentle, loving voice, telling me that I could walk again if I wanted strongly enough. She drove that message so deep into my heart that I finally believed her. A year later, I returned to school — walking on my own!
When the Great Depression (大萧条) hit, my mom lost her job. Then I left school to support  both of us. At that moment, I decided never to be poor again.
Over the years, I experienced various levels of business success. But the real turning point happened on a vacation I took with my wife and five kids in 1951. I wasn’t satisfied with the second-class hotels available for families and was angry that they asked me an extra $2 for each child. That was too expensive for many American families. I told my wife that I was going to open a motel (汽车旅馆) for families that would never ask extra for children. There were plenty of doubters at that time.
Of course mom was one of my strongest supporters. She worked behind the desk and even designed the room style. But with my mother’s support and encouragement, I never doubted we would succeed. Fifteen years later, we had the largest hotel system in the world — Holiday Inn. In 1979 my company had 1,759 inns in more than fifty countries with an income (收入) of $ 1 billion a year.
You may not have started out life in the best situation. But if you can find a task in life worth working for and believe in yourself, nothing can stop you.
【小题1】According to the writer, who played the most important role in making him walk back to school again?

A．Doctors.

B．Nurses.

C．Friends.

D．Mom.

【小题2】What caused Kemmons to start a motel by himself?

A．His terrible experience in the hotel.

B．His various levels of business success.

C．His mom’s support.

D．His wife’s suggestion.

【小题3】Which of the following best describes Kemmons’ mother?

A．Modest, helpful, and hard-working.

B．Careful, helpful and beautiful.

C．Loving, supporting and strong-willed (意志坚强的).

D．Strict, humorous and supporting.

【小题4】Which of the following led to Kemmons’ success according to the passage?

A．A poor family, hard work, higher education and self-confidence (自信).

B．Mom’s encouragement, clear goals, self-confidence and hard work.

C．Clear goals, mom’s encouragement, a poor family and higher education.

D．Mom’s encouragement, a poor family, higher education and better chances.